THE Tariff Commission (TC) said it has recommended the imposition of a P349 per metric ton safeguard duty on cement imports. In a Sept. 30 report, the commission said it determined that domestic cement is a ‘like product’ and directly competes with imported cement, which has been shipped in increased quantities. “Having established the existence of a causal link between serious injury to the local cement industry and increased imports of subject cement products, the commission hereby recommends the application of the appropriate definitive general safeguard measure, in the form of a duty, on importation of cement,” it said. According to the commission, the safeguard measure will have a greater impact on lower-priced cement imports, as the equivalent ad valorem rate will depend on the value of the shipment. However, it said that the measure exempts cement imports from developing countries with de minimis volumes, which include Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.